A photo-blog for those in love with life

Hibiya Koen on Election Day: Dec. 2012

National elections were held in Japan this past weekend. Anti-nuclear candidates were soundly defeated and the country will be led by the hawkish, pro-nuclear Liberal Democratic Party, with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe back in the seat of power. Recent polls revealed that voters in both Osaka and Tokyo did not consider the abolition of nuclear power or the protection of the Japanese Constitution as a main issue, especially compared to the economy. Nearly two years down the road from the 3/11 disaster, it is hard to believe that Japan has not seized the opportunity to reinvent itself as a nuclear-free country, or at least worked harder at alleviating the suffering of those struggling to rebuild their lives in Fukushima Prefecture. Although the LDP victory was fairly certain, still the anti-nuclear folks gathered in Hibiya Koen over the weekend were upbeat and undaunted. There was music, food, crafts and information on volunteering, and plenty of petitions were being passed around as well. Here are some photos taken on Sunday of musicians, vendors and random good people that I met in the course of the afternoon.